No Rock And Roll Fun

BACK TO THE MALLS: We're a little surprised that the big launch for the second Avril Lavigne album is going to be Ms Lavigne clomping round some shopping centres - obviously, it's great for those fans who haven't outgrwon her yet, but the whole thing smacks of a launch for an unknown artist rather than the sort of thing someone who's already achieved a degree of success would have to do. It could be a desperate desire to give something back to her fans; on the other hand, it could be a sign that the record company is afraid her allure has started to wear off a bit. A back to basics, John Major on a soapbox type relaunch can never look good.